Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

@PennysIntoPounds - I have seen one '30 plants a week' chart (can't remember where), which did cite portion sizes, but mostly it seems just to be about variety. Herbs & spices are all counted because all plants have different properties/no's of polyphenols/nutrients & it would be difficult to cite a portion size for cinnamon, sage, etc, & of course nuts, seeds, pulses, coffee, tea, all count too. It is certainly an interesting exercise to do. I think it has come from the gut microbiome research which shows the best approach is lots of plant-food variety. I suppose 5-a-day, while a good rule of thumb, could theoretically be the same 5 plants over decades 
F

joedenise

Thanks for that @foxgloves - I can add some more plant based foods as use lots of different herbs and spices in addition to fruits and vegetables.  I've just listed everything for yesterday and had 19 different fruits, vegetables and herbs.  How many more different ones I'll be able to add over the week I don't know but there will definitely be some spices in there as I'm fairly certain I've got a curry on the menu plan this week!

foxgloves

@joedenise - Yes, the plant numbers defo tick up once herbs & spices are included. On my trial week, I found that by Day 6 & 7, I was mostly eating ones I'd already had earlier in the week, but tbf, I didn't give the experiment very long & I do intend to do it again, but probably over a month. A couple of the books I've read recently on anti-inflammatory foods mentioned that dried herbs are high in polyphenols. We obviously only eat those in small quantities, but do eat them very frequently because of cooking everything from scratch.
F

foxgloves

Morning Campers,
Mr F set off to work bright & early today for the big event he is running. I've had a more leisurely start but have been pottering around & intend to get out in the garden after breakfast.
Today's useful budget-helping activities will therefore mainly be garden-based. I am hoping to harvest some more seeds for drying & saving, as well as sorting out two varieties which have been drying on the conservatory window sill. I have a few more plants for potting into new compost & bringing indoors for the winter & plenty of cutting back & clearing to be getting on with. Also bulbs waiting to be planted in various containers, but will probably wait until Monday to get on with that as could do with a couple more trays of pansies. 
I've prepared everything for pulled pork tonight - it's all ready to go into the slow cooker at 10am & will feed us for at least two meals, probably more. Am serving with salad, coleslaw, tortilla wraps & making some courgette fritters to go on the side. I thought Mr F deserved something nice after a long busy Saturday at work. Also intend to progress both sock knitting & granny squares at some point today.
Well, I had better get the coffee machine fired up & slow cooker loaded. It will defo be a no-spend day today, so that's another bonus.
Have a good day all.
F x

joedenise

foxgloves said:

@joedenise - Yes, the plant numbers defo tick up once herbs & spices are included. On my trial week, I found that by Day 6 & 7, I was mostly eating ones I'd already had earlier in the week, but tbf, I didn't give the experiment very long & I do intend to do it again, but probably over a month. A couple of the books I've read recently on anti-inflammatory foods mentioned that dried herbs are high in polyphenols. We obviously only eat those in small quantities, but do eat them very frequently because of cooking everything from scratch.
F

Same here @foxgloves.  I cook everything from scratch too.  there are of course lots of repeats of some fruit and veg throughout the week as we tend to buy multiple things like apples, oranges, grapes etc.

ladyholly

I think bottling and canning is very popular in the USA is because some places get a lot of insect problems. The major China companies used to make covered sugar bowls with no hole for a spoon because the states were major customers for British tableware and that's how they wanted them.

foxgloves

@ladyholly - How interesting. Yes, I bet you are right. They perhaps get more gobbly sort of locusty things than we do. 

Enjoyed my time in the garden. Abandoned my notional list of jobs as I could see what needed doing & it felt much more zen with one job leading naturally to another, etc. My potted up 🍓🍓 runners were all ready to be severed from the parent plants, so I did that, then tidied up the 🍓🍓 troughs & top-dressed with recycled compost which had only had salad leaves in it previously.
Cleared out the coldframe to make room for the 🍓🍓 runners & pinched out penstemons grown from cuttings, as they will probably overwinter in there now.
Potted up 2 big self-seeded aquilegias ready for filling gaps in borders when they are cleared.
Potted up another geranium & an Easter cactus ready to bring back indoors for winter. Then had a good watering session for rocket seedlings & everything I'd moved or potted up.
Have also knitted heel flap & turned heel on bday gift socks. 
Ready for a nice meal by fairy lights tonight & to hear how Mr F's big work event went. Feel sorry for my bestie. She & her partner are in Australia & he picked up covid on the flight so the first week of their fortnight trip has not turned out at all how they intended. Covid defo out there, friends. I am hand-gelling like mad & standing well back from people.
Wishing everyone a relaxing (or wild?) Saturday night.
F x

foxgloves

Morning Sunday Savers,
Just checking in to maintain my daily money saving mojo, though I think the only actual money saving activity today will be gathering another basket of pears from our tree & hopefully finishing those crochet blanket squares from the free yarn I was given.
There is lots of budget updating to do, but I have lined that up for tomorrow morning.
It won't be a no-spend day as will be popping out to village garden centre for autumn-sown garlic & a couple of trays of pansies, but it won't be anything even vaguely approaching my 'container colour for autumn' spending of the naughty pre-LBM era.
Wishing everyone a peaceful Sunday,
F x

themadvix

Good luck with your garlic buying Foxgloves. I’ve not had any luck yet - all the garden centres seem to want to sell round here is elephant garlic, which is not what I want! I planted two cloves of last year’s homegrown yesterday (which is recommended for adaptation), but I’d still like some more. 

joedenise

I've planted a few cloves from a garlic bulb bought at the supermarket.  It's got 2 choices - it either grows or it doesn't!  Pretty much the same as garlic bought from the garden centre - didn't have much luck with the "proper" garlic last time I tried it.